Bittersweet
by x.Miss.Attention.Span.x
Summary: Set S6, begins in Bargaining part 2. Now that Buffy's gone, Angel decides to send Faith back to sunnydale to help out. Only the brunette gets there to find Buffy alive again. When she can't confide in her friends, who else is there to turn to? Buffy/Faith
1. Buffy's Back

_'Cos it's a bittersweet symphony, that's life. Tryn'a makes ends meet, your a slave to the money then you die. I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down. You know the one that takes you to the places where all the things meet yea'_

Sunnydale seemed darker than she remembered it was the first thing she thought as she caught a glimpse of the town speeding down the motor way that lead to it. It had been one and a half years since she'd been down here though, it had probably changed a lot since then. The people living their had probably changed too she thought with a sigh, turning up the radio as she drove. Hopefully this time they'd be a bit more welcoming towards her.

It was so dark outside, she new it was a bit late to just be dropping in unexpectedly, so maybe she'd leave the meeting and greeting till the next day. The white paint separating the two sides of the road shone under the moonlight, catching her eyes as she tried to stay awake. It hurt to think but if she didn't keep thinking she'd just feel the exhaustion of the past few days and the last thing she needed was to fall asleep at the wheel and crash the car. So with a heavy sigh she thought, of everything she'd need to do here. She didn't want to replace Buffy, far from that, she just wanted to help out. Just the thought of the blonde brought fresh, hot tears to her eyes that where so unlike her. She reckoned Angel must have been pretty shocked when she broke down in tears at the news.

She would have been down here sooner had it not been for the fact that she'd completely lost it when he told her. Buffy was half the reason she'd turned her life around. When Angel had come in to tell her she'd flipped, after the crying and crying and screaming at him through the dingy, cheap glass that it couldn't be true she'd smashed the only thing separating them. The guards had rose to their feet and rushed towards her, only to hit the floor flat on their backs as she threw them all down in blind rage. It wasn't until she hit a hard, muscled wall that turned out to be Angel that she finally calmed... slightly. After he broke her out the next day she'd spent the first three days locked in her room on the top floor of the hotel.

And now here she was, still a bit of a mess. Her brown, wavy hair tied back in a rough pony tail and wearing some old clothes that Cordelia had so kindly lent her. Which was extremely odd from what she had remembered Cordelia to be like. Though then again the last time they'd really talked when it wasn't some kind of crisis had been back when Cordelia was still living in Sunnydale and attending high school. It seemed she'd actually matured a great deal since then.

With a long, low yawn Faith rubbed her forehead tiredly. A classic Faith smile spread across her lips as she passed the 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign, the bright green and cheery orangey yellow bringing back so many fond memories. Like dancing with Buffy at the Bronze, she hadn't cared about the crowd of boys slowly engulfing them, her focus had been completely on the blonde holding her hand as they moved to the music. And then again she had some horrible memories here, like Buffy stabbing her in the stomach and then falling backwards off her balcony onto the back of a moving truck. She shook her head and tried to concentrate on the road, she was almost on the edge of town now. And that's when she noticed the warm orange glow coming from in town and the creepy silence hanging over the town as she drove in past the first few buildings. She tried to push the off feeling she was getting to the back of her mind as she entered the suburbs, and instead try and find her way to the old Sunnydale motel. It had been quite a few years since she'd been there after all, they where definitely nothing nice as she well remembered but she needed some place to stay for the night.

Faith took a sharp turn in the small, blue car that she was surprised had managed to get her all the way here. It had been a long drive, partly because she hadn't driven in quite a while so the start had been a little jerky. Soon she was driving down the dark and dingy bad part of town. She passed familiar back alley's and just driving through she was watching old memories playing around her, many a vampire staking, late nights scouring the town with Buffy, even when they'd first met outside the bronze. She passed a graveyard and as she saw the sign her foot pushed down fast on the brake. This was the cemetery where Buffy was buried... Faith swallowed loudly, her lungs gaping for air as she sat unable to get any as she opened and closed her mouth repeatedly. She thought she'd be okay, that she'd be able to walk these streets without her heart aching every time she passed a spot where something had happened years ago with the other slayer. Be it the spot on the street where she suddenly stopped and sneezed, a tiny 'choo' that made Faith grin or the church where Faith had realized she wanted redemption, where her and Buffy's had un-switched bodies. Or worst of all Buffy's house where everything went as planned she might end up living.

A sudden bang made the brunette gasp as she came crashing back to reality, looking up and round wearily as her slayer instincts kicked in. A trash can had fallen to the ground, it's contents spilling out into the gutter messily as the person responsible sprinted down the alley a meter away. For a moment Faith thought she was just seeing another memory play out as she watched the blonde running full pelt down the alley barefoot but as she thought about it she realized that had never happened before. Confused and overwhelmed Faith quickly threw open the car door, almost ripping it of it's hinges as she did so. She leapt up with out remembering her seat belt still strapping her in, in frustration the brunette ripped the black strap in half and continued to climb out of the car, quickly braking into a run as she followed the path she'd seen the frightened girl take.

As she came to the entrance of the alley way she stopped, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. She couldn't be sure in the poor lighting who the girl was but Faith could tell she was distressed. She knew it wasn't Buffy, it couldn't be Buffy. She repeated it to herself in a low chant under her breath as she walked quickly down the alley. The petite blonde was a sobbing brown pile on the ground as Faith approached, retreating back with each step the brunette took forward till she was pressed against a brick wall which marked a dead end. Faith knelt down, taking her steps slower now as it seemed at this point the shaking blonde was trying to keep moving back into the wall though there was nowhere to go. Faith stopped a meter in front of the blonde, stopping dead still in the moonlight. The other girl slowly raised her eyes to meet Faith's fearfully. As the cowering girl revealed her face Faith's mind stopped, her heart, her breathe as well, she knelt on the cold, hard cement frozen in motion. Finally she reached out a shaky hand towards the dirty blonde, careful not to frighten her but the girl started just stared at her, eyes wide, afraid and confused.

"I..it's okay Buffy" Faith murmured as she touched Buffy's cheek softly and some of the rough dirt came off on her finger tips "do you remember me? It's... Faith" she told her as a tear trickled down her own cheek. How could this have happened? What was going on? Was it even possible? Buffy... was back. A smile cracked the hard set frown that had taken over her lips since Angel had told her. Could it have been a mistake? She couldn't help but wonder, but surely Angel would have known. The brunette's hand trailed down over Buffy's tangled hair, the torn shirt, to her bare arms and her hands. She froze, her heart broke as she saw the dried blood and dirt beneath the smaller girls finger nails.

"Buffy, what happened to you?" she muttered aloud and the blonde moved for the first time since Faith had followed her down the alley, she moved forward, slow and jerkily at first, before she threw her arms around the other slayers neck and buried her head in the soft blue shirt the brunette was wearing. Faith smiled, wrapping her arms around Buffy's waist and hugging her tightly. If she let her go, she might disappear again, and then Faith might disappear with her. That couldn't happen. Faith wasn't one for crying, as everyone well knew, but when it came to Buffy things where different. As much as she cried when she'd thought that the blonde was gone forever, now that Faith had her back she let the hot salt tears stream freely down her cheeks and wept with joy as she held the shivering blonde in her arms. Everything... everything might be okay now. Buffy was back, Buffy... was back.


	2. First Morning

_**A/N: **Thank you very much to everyone who reviewed:_ **charmedcrazy14**,** kenyon87**,** nathy.faithy, tanama30**,** ToryV**,** haelthy**,** unrestrictedparadise**,** ToryV**_, also even to those who story alerted this and those who author alerted me :D I was totally chuffed. I think I'm on a little ego high at the moment. Good for you, cos it means I'm writing the next chapter! You should have seen the look on my face when I opened up hotmail to find I had 24 new emails. And my smile just grew and grew as I looked down the subject matter to see review and story alert repeated over and over... plus an email from the library saying I had a Buffy book that was due back this week -blushes- . Anyway!! So here we go, chapter 2._

Faith sat twiddling her thumbs as she leaned back against the thin, flimsy wood of the bathroom door. The sounds of falling water hitting the bottom of the bath tub inside was soothing but it soon came to a stop and all that was left was the last few off beat drips. The brunette looked up, staring straight out the window to where the sun was rising, the first light just peaking over the horizon. Buffy's dirty black clothes from the night before lay in a pile on the chair in the corner. She tried not to think about last night. It hardly seemed real now that Buffy wasn't in her sight. The horrible demons that had attacked them on the way back to the car. Buffy had seemed so helpless as she just lay on the road where they'd pushed her to the ground. Faith still had a few bruises from fighting them all off, but in the end they got the message. This was the slayers town, they wouldn't be back here for a while. As a squeak emitted from the room behind her she leapt to her feet, spinning round and placing a hand on the door knob nervously.

"Buffy, you okay in there?" she called out worriedly and after she got no reply with a quick twist of her wrist she pushed the door open, peering in to make sure everything was okay. As she looked around she found the blonde standing by the foggy mirror, a rough brown hotel towel wrapped around her moist body, she was balanced on the tip of her toes reaching up to wipe the mirror clean with a swipe of her hand now washed clean of hard, dried blood. Faith had done her best to fix them up with the minimal first aid equipment she could find in the bathroom. The now cleared mirror revealed a blushing brunette standing behind her. The blonde made an attempted smile at her rescuer and turned round to face her.

"I.. I'm okay. But.. clothes?" was all the shivering girl uttered quietly before staring down at the shabby, slightly dirty grey tiles of the bathroom floor. Faith smiled, crouching down to pick up the garments she'd had waiting for the blonde as soon as she was done. She handed them over gently, feeling slightly odd as she was never this gentle with anyone, before retreating back to exit the room.

"I'll just be right outside this door, if you need me" Faith told Buffy softly before shutting the door behind her and sliding back down the wall to sit on the matted carpet beneath her. As soon as Buffy was dressed and ready she'd have to take her to her house, she knew she would. Her family and friends needed to know she was back. The only thing was, Faith kind of wanted to keep the blonde all to herself. She knew it was selfish and she'd never really do it, it was just a wish, a fantasy she had. That Buffy would even want to stay with her. And every morning Faith would attempt to cook breakfast of the little stove in the corner, and when that failed she'd go out and get take away. Something greasy and delicious. They'd eat in bed, snuggled up beneath the covers watching slightly static cartoons on the crappy TV across the room. She almost laughed at these ludicrous thoughts, but at the same time she stashed them a way in the back of her brain to mull over later when Buffy was back home and she was missing her. Again. The door creaked as Buffy pushed it open, appearing from the warm mist of the bathroom in an old outfit of Cordelia's. Faith grinned, she really couldn't wait to buy some of her own clothes, no offence to Cordy but these just weren't her style. Buffy smiled shyly, her wet hair dripping onto the clean, white shirt and leaving dark, slightly see-through water marks as they sunk in.

"Okay B, grab you stuff and let's take you home" Faith sighed, heaving herself up off the floor and slipping on a jacket on her way to the door. The blonde just nodded silently, folding the damp towel into a neat square and placing it on a chair in the corner before following the other slayer to the front door of the small hotel room. Buffy braced herself as the brunette opened the door, revealing the world outside. It had been along time since she'd seen it in the day light, and god it was beautiful. Apart from the cheap motel she was standing in off course. From the balcony she could see out across the car park and to the bright green grass across the street. The rows and rows of sun baked brown roof tops and the light blue morning horizon. Faith smiled as she stood watching Buffy take it all in, the blonde looked almost in awe and at the same time so sad as she surveyed her surroundings.

"I thought..." she stopped, looking back down at her feet and admiring the cute shoes Faith had leant her "I thought I was in hell when I first got here" she whispered to the floor, the first proper sentence she'd formed so far that wasn't 'I'm okay', yes or no "I thought I was in hell, until I saw you" she looked back up at Faith before taking a step out the door. She breathed in, as deep as she could, taking in the cool morning air. It was like feeling and doing all these things for the first time again. She was living for the first time again, breathing for the first time again, blushing for the first time again. Soon Faith was beside her, taking her hand lightly and leading her along the balcony and down the cement stairs to the car park, where the old blue car that had got her their was parked. Faith got in, almost laughing as she saw the ripped seat belt in the drivers side. Well that couldn't be safe. The blonde got in the passengers side, slipping on her seat belt and clutching at the edges of the soft black seat firmly with her hands. Her eyes showed her anxiety, both a being in a car again and in where they where about to go. More importantly, who they where about to see. The engine started up with relative ease and with a few low protestant grunts at moving, the vehicle began to move slowly across the bitchumen towards the road. The radio came on and Faith turned it down up a little as the next song came on.

_'And when we go, hold my hand on take-off. Tell me what I already know, that we can't talk about it. No, we can't talk about it. Because nobody knows'_

Buffy leant her head on the cold glass as they drove, watching the outside pass them by and it reminded her of a conversation from a while ago. With Riley... He'd promised he'd take her driving some time, he'd said she'd love it. It really was quite beautiful, though it was no vineyard as he had promised her. Just sitting in the car with Faith though, with the radio on softly but the soft sound of the car engine still herd. It was nice, comfortable even.

_'It's kinda getting harder to breathe, I won't let it show, I'm all about denial, but can't denial let me believe? That we could talk about it. But we can't talk about it. Because nobody knows'_

Buffy could see Faith tapping her finger on the steering wheel in time with the song as they drove, she spent the last few minutes of the drive watching the brunette out of the corner of her eye. She seemed different. She had been so nice, so gentle, before that Buffy had doubted for a while if it was really her. Faith was rough, kind of cold and often quite blunt as Buffy remembered her. She was confident and strong. This girl driving the car now was none of those things. She still had that completely faith-esk smile that made Buffy shiver, and not in a bad way. She still wore a dark shade of lipstick, but now it seemed she lacked the dark personality to go with it. She did her best to hide it from Buffy, but Faith was worried. All around them as they drove there where broken buildings, burnt out bins and ruble lying around. She took the scenic route in an attempt to avoid the worst of it but there where signs of destruction everywhere.

_'Why if this is nothing, I'm finding it so hard to dismiss. If you're what I need, then only you can save me. So come on baby, give me the fix and let's just talk about it. I've got to talk about it. Because nobody knows'_

"We're here" Faith muttered under her breath, pressing her foot down to pull the car into a lightly sudden halt in the drive way. She turned her head slightly to observe the blonde's reaction only to find that Buffy was already up and climbing out of the car. The brunette followed suite, going to unclip her seat belt before she realized she didn't need to and pushing open the heavy car door easily. As she stood up straight and pushed the door shut with a band that broke the quite uneasily, Buffy was already slowly making her way up the front steps, her expression unreadable. Faith took a look around before following her. Even houses on Buffy's street looked bad, smashed windows and gardens now a pile of black and brown. Luckily the blondes house had hardly been hit, it was mostly still intact. At least enough so that the spaced out owner of the house still hadn't notice as reached the door. Faith hurried to reach Buffy's side again as the blonde opened the door and took a step inside cautiously. It looked a lot the same, hardly even that different since Faith had last been there really. The brunette took a side ways glance at the girl next to her to find Buffy had tears in her eyes.

"I swear Will, I'm totally fine. I have to say though, you don't look too hot yourself this morning. Did you guys take care of all that monster madness last night?". The young voice even pulled at Faith's heart strings as she spoke so innocently, flicking some of her silky, long, brown hair over her shoulder. Dawn smiled at some standing out of sight as she stood at the top of the stairs waiting impatiently for them to hurry up. Buffy stood transfixed, staring up at her baby sister. Dawnie shook her head at the person she was talking too, though Buffy didn't hear a word they said, and turned to start heading down the stairs. It went in slow motion, the teenagers brown hair swishing round like in a bad movie, her eyes slowly following her line of movement till they looked down the stairs in front of her and stopped. The girl stood opening and closing her mouth for a moment like a fish out of water. She gaped for air, finally taking in a deep breath and biting her lip so hard it bled a little. Buffy went to take a step back towards the door as her sister went to take a step forward towards her. Faith was just there waiting though, with her arms reaching out to gently take the blonde by the shoulders and stop her.

"B...Buffy?".


	3. My Favourite Things

**_A/N:_ **_Thank you too all the people who reviewed this time!! :D Much appreciated._

_**ToryV**__ – I am trying to keep updating this one as soon as possible, I hope to keep that up. I promise I'll try anyway.  
__**Faithless-7  
**__**charmedcrazy14**__ – lol I love writing little fantasy bits cos I can just rant and they can be kinda silly.. anyways, glad you liked it  
__**kenyon87**__ – don't worry, I'm a hopeless romantic so not gunna happen. Buffy wont just use her, it'd make me to upset if she did.  
__**RabidREject  
**__**Jax9  
**__**haelthy**__ – You'll see in this next chapter but don't worry, Faith wouldn't let her run away anyway._

_It really does motivate me to write more when I get lots of reviews and story alerts..etc And the more reviews and all that I get, the quicker and better I write. - Anyway, hope you enjoy this next chapter. It's longer than the last one!_

_'When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad  
I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad'_

Dawn stared at her sister in disbelief, but her inability to move only lasted a couple of seconds. With tears welling in her eyes the teenager ran down the stairs in jumps and leaps, reaching her sister with such speed that she crashed into the delicate blonde uncoordinatedly. The small brunette flung her arms round Buffy and pulled her into a tight hug, her tears soaking the shoulder of Buffy's shirt. Faith watched the two sisters with a smile till another voice caught her attention.

"Buffy?" at first it was quiet, disbelieving as Dawn's had been "Buffy! Oh my god, it... it worked!" Willow squealed, hurrying down the stairs to join Buffy and Dawn, not even noticing Faith standing behind them, leaning back against the door frame grinning. The red head threw her arms around the two sisters, enveloping them both in a hug as well. Buffy stood still, letting them cry on and love her, show their affection. She hardly responded though, like she was watching a scene but not participating in it. The other slayer's smile was verging on a frown as she picked up on the blondes behavior, or lack there off. Willow and Dawn stood around Buffy sobbing as tears of joy ran down their cheeks.

"Your back, your really back!" Dawns quiet voice was filled with small, tear choked sobs as she clung to her sister, Willow was the first to let go. The red head slowly pulled away, stroking Buffy's damp blonde hair tenderly as she watched them. Dawn had probably been effected the worse. After loosing her mother not even that long before, she'd then lost her sister as well and she seemed to have blamed herself a bit for both of their deaths. Willow hadn't seen her this happy since before Joyce had died. Movement just to the right caught the red head's eyes, and she looked across, finally noticing the brunette watching them patiently. Before Willow could say something though, she was interrupted.

"Hey, hey. We bring donuts and... Buffy?" a shocked Xander stood in the open door way with a Crispy Cream box in one hand and Anya's hand in the other. Buffy slowly turned her head, her pale green eyes finding Xander's and staring up at him innocently. His heart melted as did the shock that had made his mouth a small 'O', so that it instead became a large, childish grin. Even Anya seemed happy to see the slayer again, letting a small laugh escape her mouth as she watched the interaction between them all and the expressions on their faces.

"I..it's good to see you again Buffy. How are you feeling?" Anya asked with a broad grin, doing her best to be friendly, though it only earned her scowls and odd looks from the rest of the gang crowding around the slayer "and... Faith right? Hey what ever happened to that fun, fun comber you where in?" the ex-demon asked as she noticed the grinning brunette standing at the side. Her question brought everyone's attention to the second slayer and Faith blushed under their collective gaze. Or in Willow and Xander's case glares. In that moment though, she didn't give a damn what Willow and Xander thought of her because as Buffy's eyes locked with hers, the blonde was smiling and it was a rare and beautiful sight. Their moment was however broken when Xander spoke.

"Faith, what are you doing back here?" he asked, his tone deadly serious. He was bulkier than last she saw him, and in a good way. His muscle tone had improved, his brown hair slightly longer and scruffy but in a cute way. One thing that hadn't changed though was how protective he was of Buffy. Xander took a step forward to put himself slightly between the two slayers as he questioned the brunette. Faith sighed, rolling her eyes and putting up her defenses quickly.

"Cool your gets Xan-man! Angel told me what happened, I came down last night, I was gunna help out. I mean he figured you guys might need some help with the slaying and all. And then I ran in to B here, lookin' scared as hell. Took her home, cleaned her up and brought her straight here" she told them calmly, arms folded across her chest in what the psychiatrist at the L.A. jail had told her was a defensive position. He mouth was set in a hard frown, her eye brows raised as if daring any of them to challenge her. None of them did however. Buffy's smile had disappeared though, her mouth almost forming an adorable pout as she stared wide eyed at the other slayer. In a second she had changed back to the old her, the rough and tough slayer who did what she had to just go get by. It made the blonde sad, she already missed the gentle brunette who taken care of her from the very early hours of the morning.

"Thank you" Dawn was the first to speak, smiling up at Faith sincerely "for looking after my sister" she added. The older brunette smiled down at Buffy's little sister genuinely before looking back to Buffy. The blonde was smiling again now, though Dawn was the only one who seemed to notice that it Faith was the only one making her sister smile so far. Xander nodded in Faith's direction though not making eye contact. It was true, he was thankful that someone had fond Buffy and taken care of her. Even if it had to be Faith that had done it. All that really mattered was that his friend was okay and alive again. An awkward silence fell over the group as they stood around, unintentionally forming a circle around the blonde making her not only the centre of attention but the centre of the group.

"Buff, you must be hungry" Xander grinned, clutching the box of donuts tightly as he spoke "why don't we all head into the kitchen. I'm sure Faith is hungry too from the long drive here" he added, trying to be friendly to the brunette standing slightly apart from the rest of the scoobies. Dawn and Willow nodded in agreement, heading through the dining room and into the kitchen. Xander and Anya followed, pausing for a second to make sure the slayers where coming too. Faith closed the door behind them, eyeing the blonde warily to make sure she wasn't going to run away, but it seemed Buffy was only waiting for her to walk together. The brunette smiled as they walked slowly side by side into the slightly crowded kitchen and went to stand at the other end of the counter, expecting Buffy to take a seat next to her friends. The blonde however stood next to the other slayer, which slightly confused everyone but they ignored this odd occurrence as Buffy was probably still in shock. After all, she had just come back from the dead. They just had to give her a bit of time. Besides, Faith was the one who found her, who took her in. It was only natural that she should want to stay close to her rescuer now.

"So.. food?" Faith asked, her stomach was rumbling. The last thing she ate was a burger at some gas station on the way and that was ten or more hours ago now. Xander opened the green and white Crispy Cream box and slid it down the bench towards her politely, though Anya watched it go with a miserable pout. They had spent hard earned money on those donuts and she wanted to eat them, and now Xander was giving them to some ex-murderer who he didn't even like? She remained silent though. She may still be learning but she had learnt pretty quickly today that it was better if she didn't speak. She'd ask her Xander later when they where alone. Faith grinned as the donuts slid down the bench towards her, quickly snatching one up and taking a large bite, almost consuming three quarters of it at once. The brunette swallowed loudly and proceeded to lick her fingers of the sticky, sugary coating after finishing her third in under two minutes. She turned to the blonde with a kind smile and pushed the box towards her.

"Come on Buffy, you need to eat" she added encouragingly and with an unsure glance at the donuts and then back up at Faith the blonde gave in and finished off the box in a snap "Wow, you really where hungry" Faith laughed as Buffy burped and blushed shyly.

"Yea, I... I guess I was".

_X.x.X.x.X_

"So umm... do you have a place to sleep" Willow asked as she watched Dawn leading her sister up the stairs to her room, they had decided to let her rest for a while before they started asking big on the questions "I mean you could crash here on the couch if you wanted?" the red head offered. After all Faith had done for them today it seemed the least they could do. Her and Xander had agreed that they wanted to keep Faith in their sight anyway, at least until they could call Angel and confirm her story. Him and Anya had left an hour ago and he said he'd call her as soon as he heard anything. The only thing left to decide was, how where they going to tell Giles?

"Actually Red... do you mind? I only really had enough cash for the one night at a hotel" the brunette blushed, feeling kind of bad. Nothing had gone according to plan so far, in a good way, she was more than glad that Buffy was back. Things where just a little messed up now was all. Buffy had hardly spoken a word since they got there, it was probably a good decision on Willow's part for all of them to have an early night tonight. Then tomorrow they could sort this all out, and there was a lot to sort out!

"Okay well, I'll grab you some blankets and a pillow from the cupboard, be back in a tick" Willow smiled, leaving Faith to wait patiently in the living room on her own. Upstairs she could Dawn wishing her sister good night before closing the door and heading to her own room. In the kitchen she could hear Willow talking to another woman who's voice sounded vaguely familiar, but the brunette couldn't remember who's it was. They where saying something about 'she's back' and 'it worked', Faith guessed it had something to do with Buffy. With a sigh she turned on the TV, making sure the volume was on low before channel surfing. Nothing much was on, so she ended up settling for the sound of music. She used to love that movie when she was a little kid. When her mum was out or just so drunk she'd passed out, Faith would put the old tape on and dress up in some of her mothers clothing, dancing round the living room and singing all the songs. It was like the huge family she never had, all the brothers and sisters she only dreamt of having. It was another couple of minutes before Willow returned with blankets and a pillow stacked up in her arms. Behind her a shy blonde followed, smiling at Faith as the red head placed the bedding at one end of the couch.

"We're just up in the first room on the right at the top of the stairs if you need anything" Willow smiled before the two girls started to head up too bed. Faith grinned as she remembered where she knew that voice from, that must have been Willow's girlfriend, the one she met when she swapped bodies with Buffy over a year ago. 'So they're still together huh? Well who'd have thought. Willow, gay' Faith mused to herself as they disappeared up the stairs, before turning her attention back to the screen. She smiled as one of her favorite songs came on, 'My Favorite Things'. Off course there was no-one in the world who new that, or that she liked 'The Sounds Of Music'. It was a secret which she guarded with her life. It kind of ruined the sexy, bad girl image that she had going. Though she had to say just Being around Buffy seemed to be doing that just fine this time. Faith sat up, pulling her shirt off so she was only wearing the thin white singlet underneath and grabbing the pillow from the end of the lounge to place beneath her head before dragging one of the blankets over her cold body. The blanket was slightly bristly on her bare arms but better than the sheets at the hotel and enough to keep her warm, so she was appreciative enough. With a tired yawn she settled in beneath her covers to continue watching the movie when she herd a low creak from in the other room. Faith frowned, peering over the edge of the blanket she'd pulled up to her shin to see Buffy tip toeing down the stairs in her PJ's. She smiled as she approached, stopping when she reached the side of the couch.

"Could I uhh... join you?" the blonde whispered so as not to wake the others now sound asleep upstairs "I just, I couldn't sleep.." she muttered, starting for blush for the thousandth time that day. Faith grinned up at her, eye brows raised in a classic Faith manor as she lifted up the blanket covering herself. Buffy smiled, lying down half on top of the brunette so head was resting on her chest. She could hear the other slayers heart beating loudly as she lay there and she felt the safest she had since arriving back home again. Faith carefully lay the blanket back down over the two of them and wrapped one arm around the blondes waist, using the other free one to gently stroke her hair. It was just like her fantasy, except better, because it was all completely real. Here they lay, cuddling up on the couch, watching TV together.

"You like the sound of music huh? I never really picked you for that kind of girl" Buffy muttered, doing her best to keep her eyes open just a little bit longer, but it was so warm and comfortable. She could feel herself slipping into sleep and she couldn't stop it. She wanted this too last a little longer though, lying in Faith's strong arms, listening to her heart beat and knowing she was completely safe here. Her eye lids felt heavy, they where already half closed so that she was left watching through a small slit. The children gathering round and crawling into the bed as the thunder rumbled outside and the rain poured, and as Julie Andrews began to sing she was surprised to hear a second voice joining her.

"_Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, Brown paper packages tied up with strings, These are a few of my favorite things..._" Faith sung softly as she ran her fingers gently through Buffy's hair, and the blonde soon fell to sleep, the last thing she herd being the soft melody of 'My Favorite Things'.


	4. Rise and Shine

_**A/N:** When I get reviews and I get this like, hyperactive buzz :D lol So, thank you very much too:_

**_u.luv.me_** - _So u like the way Buffy and Faith interact with each other? Few, thank you!! I was kinda worried maybe ppl would think it didn't work or.. something -_  
**_ToryV_** - _So happy u liked that Xander and Will where making an effort, I didn't want them all to be like mean to her because it kind of makes you angry at them and everyones gotta love Xander and Willow!! lol_  
**_haelthy_** - _Keeping up the fast postings :D Though do tell me if I'm rushing it to much and my writings getting sloppy. Better you wait an extra day and it's good, right? And hehe.. u where giddy? :P Yay!_  
**_Faithless-7_** - _Butterflies? lol Thanx for your review, I'm glad your happy with Faith being kind of soft._  
**_Jax  
_****_charmedcrazy14_** - _Glad your liking it. Btw, wats OOC mean? lol.. N.E.way, Yea I wanted Faith to have like this deeper layer, like she's not exactly who you think. Just kind of.. well I'm glad you like it!_  
**_kenyon87_** - _Rock on, peace! :D and thanx for the review._  
**_cooltrainer 124_** - _I promise to keep up the cuteness factor.  
__So, here's the next chapter, and I hope you all like it!! :D Honestly, tell me if it's too rushed or something!! ._

_'I'm falling through the door, flying cross the floor, when you look at me suddenly it's clear. Your burning up my dreams, crazy as it seems, I don't wanna be anywhere but here..'_

Soft, early morning light peered through the crack in the curtain, casting a thin orange line across Dawn's bed as she lay sleeping. The snores of the two girls in the room next door echoed into hers in a way that was so familiar she slept through it pleasantly, every once in a while fidgeting in her sleep as she lay dormant. The small fluorescent numbers on the clock beside her read 6:59 am, before with a flicker they changed to 7:00 and a shrill, repetitive beeping ensued. The small brunette's eyes fluttered open, her brow furrowed as the loud sound penetrated her ears and rung through her head. The girl groaned, reaching out a lazy hand to try and find a snooze button. With her eyes still half closed she felt across her bedside table blindly, knocking small trinkets over as she felt for the cubed shape of her clock and pressed various buttons in her attempt to find the right one. Finally the incessant siren sound came to a halt, Dawn smiled sleepily and let her head fall back down onto the comfortable pillow beneath it. Mmm... early morning, warm sun light, she just wanted to drift of back to.. Buffy! The brunette sat bolt upright as she remembered, opening her eyes, now fully awake.

Buffy was back, she was alive, everything would be okay now. She didn't have to spend every day worrying that someone would find out Buffy was dead and she'd be taken away from the only family she had left, Willow & Tara, Xander & Anya and surprisingly Spike. The undead english man had been quite over protective of little Dawn since... She shook her head, throwing of the covers to reveal her pink and purple polka dot pyjama's. She slipped out of bed, her bare feet landing softly on the carpet, and with a wide yawn she reached for her slippers and began to make her way down to the kitchen. Each step creaked slightly under her feet as she smiled, thinking of what a great day it was going to be. Perfect. Tara would get up soon, make breakfast, Dawn would request funny shapes. Willow would come down a little late, rushing to be ready in time, and Tara would hand her a coffee as she entered the kitchen. Buffy would come in and... Dawn stopped, backing up to steps too look into the lounge room, her jaw dropped. Lying snuggled on the couch and fast asleep lay Faith and Buffy. Dawnie's eyes popped at the sight, she couldn't believe it. Faith and Buffy? If the blondes sister new anything about the other slayer it was that Buffy hated her, she was a murderer. What if.. something went wrong when Buffy came back...

"Morning Dawnie" came Tara's soft voice from behind her as the blonde witch exited her and Willow's bed room, shutting the door quietly behind her as the red head was still sleeping "you wanna go wake Buffy while I start making breakfast?" she asked with a warm smile. Dawn however wasn't smiling back, her eyes showed a mixture of worry and confusion, the brunette shook her head at the older girl and continued down the stairs without a word before stopping at the bottom for a moment. She looked back up at Tara and spoke.

"I'd really rather not, you can do it. You'll find her on the couch" she muttered before rounding the corner and heading down into the kitchen to fetch herself an orange juice. Tara raised one eye brow at the teenager, slightly taken aback as she headed down the stairs. What did she mean on the couch? Wasn't Buffy in her room and Faith sleeping upon the sofa? Tara was sure that's what she remembered from the events of last night. Confused, the Wicca wandered into the lounge room to check and stopped dead in her tracks when she got there. A mild blush rose in her cheeks as one of the slayers began to stir, and Tara quietly exited the room again, leaving them to wake without an audience.

Faith smiled as she woke to find the blonde still snuggled up against her. She'd half feared and half hoped that the other slayer would leave again in the middle of the night. The brunette was more than used to waking up to an empty bed when there had been another person in it with before she'd fallen asleep. But she knew Buffy was different, from the moment they first met. She wasn't just the other slayer, their connection went deeper than that. This strange relationship between them was more than a mystical and magical chosen one thing, Faith knew that things with Buffy and Kendra hadn't been like this. It was a Buffy and Faith thing. It was the way the blonde made her feel which no-one else could. For Faith it had been all sexual as far as her relationships had gone. Meet, flirt, have sex, gone before breakfast. Before Buffy no-one had made her think of sleeping in, late night movies and small, lingering kisses when they where forced to part. With the blonde it wasn't just lust. And that scared Faith more than the creatures of the night her and Buffy faced all the time. Slaying was a high risk job, easy to get hurt, part of the gig. But so was love, and two slayers in love was mixing the two very dangerous things. Faith sighed, now she was getting ahead of herself. She liked Buffy, that was for sure, but who was she to assume Buffy felt anything for her at all. The brunette lent down to plant a soft kiss on the other girls forehead lovingly. Maybe today the blonde would speak, maybe she'd be okay again. Faith ran her fingers gently through Buffy's wavy hair and yawned.

"Breakfast! Come and get it" Tara yelled out from the kitchen, serving up her second batch of funny shaped pancakes. Dawn was eating quietly, very unusual for her. Tara watched her thoughtfully before she remembered the pancakes that would soon be burning if she didn't attend to them. As she returned to the stove Willow entered the kitchen, still in the middle of brushing her hair, and Tara instinctively handed her the steaming cup of coffee waiting for her on the counter top. The red head grinned, leaning over to kiss the blonde quickly on the cheek before taking a seat next to Dawn.

"Thanks sweety" she grinned, grabbing the newspaper from the bench and searching the articles for anything that could be monster related, she cringed at the heading. 'Monster Motorcycle Gang Raids Sunnydale', she'd almost forgot about that, except for that they seemed to have all cleared out of town. She had no idea why, but suddenly they'd all started to head back onto the high way with their motors roaring loudly into the distance, sadly however not before they'd beaten BuffyBot up pretty badly. It was a lucky the spell had worked, or they'd all be stuffed and Dawnie would have had to live with her father and his new wife. BuffyBot was up in Willow's room, the red head had been going to start repairs on her yesterday. It wasn't looking good, she needed new parts and it would take a while. It looked like the town had been hit pretty badly too, shops looted, houses with smashed windows and broken down doors and some places burnt to the ground. Willow sighed, taking a sip of her coffee as she continued to look through the rest of the paper meticulously. Tara finished the third batch of pancakes, carrying them over to set on a plate when Faith walked in, stretching her arms tiredly.

"Mmm.. pancakes. God I haven't had these since I was like... wait I don't think I've ever had them. But I saw people eating them on TV a couple of times, smothered in golden syrup. Looked pretty darn good" the brunette grinned, accepting her plate from Tara with a hungry grin. Willow laughed, looking up at Faith and giving her a friendly smile, maybe the she really had changed. She seemed friendlier, less axe murderer. The red head went back to her paper silently, not noticing that beside her Dawn was now stabbing her pancakes rather angrily. Tara however did pick up on it, though she was unsure of what to say with Faith sitting right there.

"Morning all" Buffy groaned as she entered the kitchen, Dawn looked up at the sound of her sisters voice. She seemed fine, better than yesterday in fact. She was talking and walking and function most human like. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe she just got lonely in the middle of the night and didn't want to bother her sister.. So instead turned to the girl she'd put in a comber two years ago? The brunette pushed her plate away, she didn't feel like eating anymore.

"Dawnie, where you going?" Buffy asked as her sister went to leave the room. The younger girl stopped, turning to face her big sister. She smiled sheepishly, rushing back to hug her tightly, catching the blonde off guard. She'd missed this, love and intimacy, her friends and her little sister. Buffy smiled, running her hand over Dawn's hair soothingly, like she used to do when the smaller girl was upset. Like she'd done many times when their mother was sick and they where both so worried about her and Buffy had needed to be the strong one, saying it was all going to be okay. Finally the brunette pulled away, smiling up at her older sister happily. It was the first time she' hugged her, properly hugged her, since she'd come back.

"I'm going to get ready for school" the brunette giggled, making sure none of the tears forming escaped to roll free down her cheek "I love you" she added quickly before squeezing her sisters hands one last time and quickly rushing off to finish getting ready. Faith grinned, nudging Buffy playfully as the blonde sat with a shocked smile plastered on her face. Willow and Tara shared a look before going back to what they where doing. The only thing left was Giles. _'Tara, can you here me?'._ Tara jumped slightly as Willows voice rung in her head before smiling and going back to what she was doing, hoping the slayers didn't notice. _'Yea, what is it?' _she asked, as she took her own plate and stood at the bench opposite the red head. _'Heard anything from Xander yet?'. _Tara shook her head as she took a bite of her pancakes, she didn't think there was much chance of the other two girls noticing as they seemed a little too wrapped up in each other. _'Damn, well when he comes to pick up Dawnie we should go with him and have a little Scoobie conference? Minus Buffy. She can stay here with Faith and, you know, get settled back in' _Willow sounded stressed as she recited her plan to Tara. The other Wicca thought over it, a little unsure as she slowly answered her girlfriend. _'Umm... maybe there's something I should tell you..'_ she thought back. The red head raised her eye brows, obviously intrigued, so Tara told her what she'd seen that morning.

"What?" Willow asked out loud, blushing as Buffy and Faith looked at her, having caught their attention with her sudden out burst "I uhh.. sorry. I think and then I started speaking the thoughts before I'm done thinking them so I starting saying them half way through and it sounds random" she muttered, earning herself an amused grin from the blonde "I was thinking, me and Tara need to get some stuff from the Magic Box, so we might go with Xander. If umm.. you guys will be okay on your own for the day?" she asked, obviously deciding this was still the best plan of action. Buffy bit her lip, looking off into space as she pretended to think it over, before looking back and Willow cheerfully.

"Yea, that sounds fine Will" she nodded, much to the joy of the other slayer sitting beside her. A whole day alone with Buffy, and she seemed to have perked up a lot since yesterday. She was talking and smiling and laughing and hugging her sister.

"Xander's here! Who's ready for some fun, fun learning?" the construction worker himself shouted from the front hall, holding the door open as he waited for Dawn. Willow and Tara looked to each other before the red head quickly swallowed the last of her coffee and rose to her feet. The witches both wished Buffy and Faith a good day as they hurried out to reach Xander before he left. They really had no reason to worry though, because as per usual Dawn was running a little late.

"So, what do you want to do today?".


	5. Heaven And Hell

_**A/N: **This chapters a little shorter than the last sorry! Hope you guys still enjoy it though! Thank you very much for the reviews I have received from: ToryV, haelthy, charmedcrazy14 and fuer grissa ost drauka, they where very much appreciated. I always love your comments, and definitely your compliments, and criticism is very helpful too when given!! :D_

The icy cold liquid trickled down onto Buffy's hand and the blonde licked it off with a smile, she felt like a little kid again. The hot sun light hitting the back of her neck as she dangled her legs over the side of the bridge, swinging them back and forth so the tips of her toes skimmed the water lightly. She stuck out her tongue to catch a drip of creamy pink ice-cream before it fell onto her summer dress.

"So, is this like the best date you've ever been on?" Faith asked as she took a seat beside the blonde, grinning as she finished of the last of her paddle pop and began to chew boredly on the stick. Buffy blushed, her golden plaits swinging in the light breeze that swept through the park. It was a gorgeous day, this spot was beautiful, with the little bridge and cobbled park, the trickling creek leading into the calm, blue waters of a lake surrounded by soft, luscious grass. Picturesque was probably a better word. Besides which, it had been forever since Buffy had sat in the sunshine enjoying a paddle pop ice cream. And then, to top it all off, the other slayer had been making her laugh all morning. She'd never seen Faith like that, so relaxed and funny and adorably cute.

"Date?.." the blonde replied shyly, tilting her head slightly to the side as she looked at the girl next to her. The red rose in Faith's cheek as the word was repeated to her, growing nervous and flustered under the blondes soft yet intense gaze. The paddle pop stick fell from her mouth as she opened and closed it repeatedly, trying to find the words. Buffy smiled watching the brunette, she was adorable when she was under pressure.

"D..date? Did I say date? No.. I meant.. like two friends hanging out you.. you know?" Faith stuttered anxiously, tripping over her words as she tried to get them all out at once "I just mean... are you having a good time?". The blonde grinned, clutching her fast melting ice-cream in one hand, brushing back a strand of silky golden hair that had blown in her face with the other, and nodding gladly in answer. The breeze blowing over them ruffled the edges of her thin, pink summer dress. Faith stood up, a smile gracing her dark red lips as she slipped off her shoes and left them beside the blonde. Buffy watched her with interest, wondering what the other girl was doing. The brunette walked round to the edge of the bridge and off the cobbled path onto the soft, dew covered grass. She reached the edge of the creak, jumping out onto a large rock sticking out from the running waters. At first she flailed her arms slightly, regaining her balance, and then jumping to the next rock. The blonde still sitting on the bridge smiled, her grip on the wooden post of the bridges hand rail tightening slightly each time the brunette wobbled and then relaxing as she stood tall again, giggling as the water splashed up onto the sides of her bare feet.

"I like you" Buffy called out, causing Faith to blush and wobble, fall from the rock she was standing in to fall in to the slightly warm water trickling over the creek bed of smoothed stones "I mean, I like this new you, less killy more silly Faith" the blonde quickly added as the brunette looked back at her, jeans now wet almost up to her knees as they soaked up the water moving around her ankles "can I tell you a secret?" Buffy asked, her voice getting quieter. Faith waded forward through the water, some of the sharper rocks sticking into her feet as she walked, doing her best not to slip again. She reached the bridge where the blonde was sitting and placed her hands on the other girls knees, nodding in answer. Buffy took a deep breath, the brunette's hands grasping the soft fabric of her dress and sitting gentle on her legs making her quiver slightly as she did her best to concentrate. The sun was beating down on the back of her neck where the few short, loose strands of hair that had escaped her sweet plaits stuck to her skin in the heat of the day. Faith looked up, staring straight in Buffy's big, pale olive green eyes and smiled sweetly.

"I think... that I was in heaven. Or somewhere like heaven. I wasn't walking around, living a second life. It was just like... like I new that everything was okay, it was this warm and comforting. And then I was ripped out of their, and I don't know how or why. I just know that I was scared and afraid and I thought I was in some hell dimension, until I saw you" she finally looked back at the brunette so that their eyes connected and she could feel the electricity flowing between them. The current increased as Buffy placed her own hands on top of Faith's and the brunette clutched them softly, opening her mouth to try and speak.

"Why do you keep saying that? I mean... surely if you saw me after all this time you'd be sure you where in hell" She muttered almost under her breath, looking down at her feet and running her thumb lightly back and forth across the back of Buffy's hand. The blonde sighed, reaching out nervously to touch the brunette's cheek, causing her to look up suddenly at the static of the touch. Faith was transfixed by the other slayers gaze as Buffy let her fingers linger over the brunette's skin, across her cheek and down her neck sending shivers down Faith's spine. The blonde shook her head slowly at the girl standing in front of her, her bare feet brushing the brunette's leg's she swung them back and forth. Faith swallowed loudly, making Buffy smile at the effect she was having on the other slayer. She did after all have to be sure that their where feelings on the other girls part before she just went and spilled her guts.

"I used to have nightmares in which I was killing you over and over and I could stop and I woke up crying sometimes. Dawn would come in and ask me what was wrong and I'd say nothing and she'd tell me I'd been calling out your name in my sleep. They lasted the whole summer after... high school ended. Then they mostly went away, until you woke up from your comber. I hated stabbing you, it almost killed me to do it. When I saw you in the alley, you weren't threatening, you where gentle and kind and... I thought I was dreaming. I thought, maybe I was back in heaven again. Your like a little piece of heaven here on earth. Like an angel. And don't say that can't be true, because of all the things you did. That just makes you all the better for over coming it all and serving your punishment, or most of it. Anyway, as they say, even angels fall sometimes" Buffy closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she finally finished, her lungs sucking it in, desperate for oxygen. The blonde opened one eye first, nervous of the brunette's expression. Faith mainly looked shocked, taken aback, surprised and then she managed to close her slightly open mouth as her lips formed a smile and she quickly took a step back away from the other girl, letting a small giggle escape her lips.

"You uhh.. think I'm an angel?" she asked, looking slightly disbelieving. She was far from an angel, some would even go as far to call her Satan's spawn, though she was nothing near that bad. She was the attempt at a human gone wrong. A malfunction. A mistake, to be blunt, as she was in fact literally that. The result of her mum's stupidity and drunken behavior at a party with her father, whom now resided in a jail a million miles away. The brunette shook her head, staring at her own reflection in the moving water at her feet.

"You are an angel! You are my savior! You are the reason I gave up and gave myself in and served out my sentence for all that time when I could easily have broken free. Your the reason I turned my life around and the reason I'm a better person now. I am far from an angel, but you... you are literally from heaven" Faith told her with all sincerity and seriousness as she looked back up at the blonde, focusing her intense gaze upon the taken aback girl sitting before her "Umm... maybe we should be getting back?" she quickly added, a blush rising in her cheeks. She'd never been one to spill her guts and talk about her feelings before and it was making her uneasy, putting herself on the line like that. Opening her heart to someone meant two possibilities, either something or nothing. Either her heart and soul would be filled with light and warmth. Or they'd be left cold and empty on the floor and the object of her affection would walk across them, crushing them without a thought and leaving only the broken pieces behind for Faith to gather up and try her best to sticky tape back together. Naturally, the brunette was hoping for option A.


	6. Organise

_**A/N: **So, I hope you all follow on okay. I've been going over the past chapters and editting them slightly... changing little bits and over all trying to make it better. I'll update them on here soon. And I**'m wondering what anyone would think of** a little Dawn/Spike? Cos i don't just wanna put it in and have people hate it and I'm slightly unsure. So please review and tell me!! And thank you for all the reviews I've gotten. I don't have time to go through and name everyone who reviewed this time, I wanna get this up as soon as possible, but i will next chapter. Cos I really do appreciate it them all!!_

"So Buffy and Faith where getting all cuddly on the couch last night?" Xander asked, twiddling his thumbs as he sat at the round table in the centre of the magic shop, his thoughts somewhere between dirty and worried "so what, you think she came back wrong or something? Shaking up with Miss Slutty Ex-murderer" he added, his worried thoughts winning over the dirty ones. Willow quickly shook her head, taking a seat beside him.

"No! I mean… I don't think there's anything wrong with her, it was most likely nothing. Just comfort. It worries me a little, sure, but it's probably nothing at all. The real problem at hand is Giles. How do we tell him? His gonna flip. And by the way, have you contacted Angel yet? I really wanna confirm Faith's story" the red head stood up again and began pacing as she talked "Faith's just… I dunno. I wanna trust her, I really do, because Buffy seems to and after all she would usually be one of the first people to doubt her. But see that's just the problem. Doesn't it all just seem a little weird to you? Usually Buffy would be the first to say something was fishy bout that girl but no, now she's snuggling with her? It doesn't make sense. What if she isn't right? What if… Oh god, what have we done?" Willow babbled on until she felt a pair of gentle hands rest on her shoulders. They trailed down her arms and wrapped around her waist as their owner's breath hit the back of her neck soothingly.

"Calm baby. We just have to think calmly and rationally about this. It's perfectly natural that as someone who rescued her, was the first person she saw when she came back and is probably the strongest out of us is that Faith's the one she clings too. Faith probably just makes her feel safe. But as she starts to feel better and re-adjust she'll get past that and be her old Buffy self again" Tara reassured her "so, Xander, what's the news?" she asked. He smiled gratefully at her, the art of Willow calming was a tricky one to master, he knew from experience.

"On the Angel front, no news as of yet… I called up and a girl called Fred answered and said that he was out, but that she'd get him to call me back later. However she forgot to ask who was calling before she hung up, she seemed in kind of a rush. So anyway, I'm going to try and call again later. And Giles… just call him Will. Tell him Buffy's back, he'll probably be quite shocked in his very British way, but it's Buffy, he'll be glad. And then he'll come back home and it'll all be hunky dory!" he finished with a grin at his best friend before looking over to his stunning fiancé standing over by the cash register. She wasn't paying any attention to their conversation as she was addressing a customer with a smile on her face that stretched from one ear to the other. His hearted softened as he watched her, she was so gorgeous, so adorably cute. His thoughts wandered off as he sat staring at her, she was getting a little over excited as she opened up the cash register and held out her hand to receive the customers money.

"Okay, okay I can do that. Call Giles. Not a problem, not at all… Xander can you please do it for me?" she begged him, before shaking her head and taking a deep breath "no, I gotta do this. It was my idea an all…" she let out that large breath she'd been holding in with a heavy sigh "okay, I'm going to go call him. And then when I get back, we'll go home and see Buffy and explain everything too her, about how we brought her back and all" she nodded as she headed into the other room where the phone was "It'll all be fine" she muttered to herself. As soon as the door was closed and the red head was out of sight Tara collapsed in the chair beside Xander tiredly.

"This has been pretty stressful, huh?" the brunette smiled at her, reaching a hand up to rub his temples. Tara nodded in reply. Willow had been totally stressed out and tired these past few weeks more than ever and the shyer Wicca had been doing her best to hold herself together for her girlfriends sake. It was starting to get to her a little though and she was completely worn out. Willow was trying to be all strong, at least to everyone else, but when they where alone Tara saw the real toll all this was taking on the other girl. She needed her best friend back so much she was willing to do almost anything to get her back, including lie to those that loved her. Tara was sure Willow had never mentioned just how bad it was all going to get in that spell, the cuts, the bugs crawling beneath her skin and the snake. It had killed Tara to see her girl in so much pain and yet she couldn't do anything but sit there and watch. And she knew one thing for sure, Willow didn't just do a spell without fully researching it first. Which meant she knew what was going to happen but didn't want to tell them in case they tried to talk her out of doing it. The blonde grimaced and let out a long, heavy sigh before rising to her feet again to wander past the shelves. Sometimes looking over all the weird and wonderful magical artifacts in the shop calmed her a little. But just a little. She wandered up towards the front of the magic shop, her fingers trailing over the wood of the table beside her as she headed to the window. Just she reached the front, the loud tinkling sound of the bell wrung out. The front door burst open and a large smoking blanket rushed it and closed the door beside it's self.

"Bloudy hell!" came the low growl as a bleached blonde man pulled the blanket from his head with a grumpy pout and headed towards the table where Xander was sitting, running a hand through his hair as he did so "Okay, what in hall happened last night?". Tara smiled as she watched him and followed down to the centre of the shop. Xander looked annoyed as the english man approached him, stopping to place two hands on the back of a chair as he leaned forward and panted.

"It's good to see you too Spike. What's with the day time visits?" the brunette asked, arms crossed across his chest as he looked up at the still slightly smoking vampire and glared. Xander was not at all fond of this man and even more so with the blonde's obsession with Buffy. Spike rolled his eyes flippantly, not giving a damn of what Xander thought of him. he scratched his head, pulling up a chair and taking a seat across the table from the brunette.

"Last night, me and the little bit where at home when all of a sudden these bloomin' bikers are rippin' up the streets, smashin' windows and the lot. So I got her out of their, hid her down in my crypt, and then suddenly they all started just headin' back out onto the high way. So I'm wondering what on earth you tiny little scoobies managed to do that got them all a shakin' in their big, black, steel toed boots?" he finished with a sigh, kicking back slightly and putting his feet up on the table as he watched Xander and waited with eye brows raised. Anya wondered over, having no more customers for the moment, and decided to join in the conversation.

"Oh! Well that was Faith. She got back into town last night and when she found the newly resurrected Buffy they attacked her so she beat them all into mushy biker pulp" she told him with a cheery smile as she dusted the shelves beside them. Xander sighed, his hand going straight to his forehead in frustration. Boy he loved that girl, but sometimes… Spike was staring at her, wide eyed at what she had just informed him off. A lump rose I his throat as he tried to speak but his eyes started to water and he quickly raised a hand to wipe the moisture away. Tara watched him with a soft, apologetic smile. She had argued that they should tell Spike but Xander insisted that they shouldn't and Willow had agreed with him so she'd done as they'd said and kept her mouth shut on the matter. She knew that they had both known him as a monster, but that had stopped them from seeing the other side of him, a man. The fact was, he really did love Buffy. There was no doubt he could be dangerous, though he couldn't exactly bite or even physically hurt them himself, but they'd been trusting him with their lives, and Dawn's as well. All this summer they'd been fighting by his side, since Buffy died and even a little before then. And the moment Buffy was back he was deemed untrustworthy again.

"Buffy… she's back?" he asked slowly as Anya's words took their time to sink in, a small smile forming on his lips "she's really back?" he asked again, looking straight to Xander for conformation. All he got was an annoyed nod and fiery glare from the brunette, who obviously wasn't so keen on him knowing about it. "And you never thought to tell me?" now Spike was angry, his voice raised as he stood up abruptly and the chair fell back onto the ground behind him with a clatter. Tara took a step back, biting her lip as she watched. She knew this would happen, it would have been better if they'd just told him what had been going on all along. Xander rolled his eyes and rose to his feet as well, both his hands planted firmly on the table as he looked Spike straight in the eyes and spoke.

"No, we didn't tell you. But are you going to start up your little Buffy obsession again, now that she's back?!" he asked the blonde, now beginning to raise his voice as well "Buffy is in a fragile state right now, she's just back from some hell dimension and the last thing she needs right now is you hanging around her" he growled. Spike glowered back before pulling at his collar angrily, picking up his blanket and heading back towards the door. Tara shot Xander a look as he sat back down but the brunette missed it. Spike took one last look back at him before throwing the large blanket over his head and opening up the door to head back into the harsh, hot sunlight.

"Okay dokey!" came the happily naïve voice of Willow walking back out of the small office with a smile plastered across her face "I told Giles! It all went fine, he's coming back as soon as he can. I mean, he was a little wigged out at first. Very, very many 'Oh My Gosh's to be heard and I think I could actually hear him cleaning his glasses at one point…" she grinned as she picked up the chair that had ended up on the floor in Spike's rage and took a seat happily "what's up with you guys?". For a moment Xander and Tara exchanged looks while Anya looked at her shoes feeling a little guilty for what she'd just accidentally caused. Sometimes she wished she would know when not to speak and what not to say. But when she was getting all miserable about how newly human she was and how she just didn't seem to fit in Xander would lift her chin up and stare her right in the eyes and says 'but that's one of the things that so damn cute about you'. She smiled at the thought.

"Well… Will. Spike was just here… and Anya kind of let it slip that Buffy was back and now he's all in a huff that we didn't tell him" Tara told her calmly, walking towards the red head as she spoke to take her hand and give her a slightly uncertain smile. Willow gave Anya a quick glare before taking a deep breath and calming herself.

"Oh".

X.x.X.x.X

Dawn smiled upward as she looked at the sky, it was the most beautiful clear blue this afternoon and she was enjoying every minute of her walk home. She clutched the thin straps of her school bag as she walked, hardly paying any attention to the path in front of her as she went. Her smile was stretched from on ear to the other, her cheeks a rosy red and her eyes sparkling in the sunlight. All because her big sister was alive again and it meant the world to her. Her grin widened as she approached her house, flipping her long brown hair over her shoulder and fastening her pace a little. From here she could see that the letter box was broken, missing the box part as it was not a white stake sticking out of the grass with a broken, jagged top. A shiver rolled down her spine as she remembered that night. It was kind of bittersweet. In a night filled with horror, where her and Spike had to flee the house when Bikers took to driving a path of destruction through the town, her sister had come back. That night she'd been so scared it was probably the first time since Buffy's death she wasn't thinking about her and missing her and that was the night that the blonde had been raised from her grave and brought back to them all. A slight breeze picked up and blew over Dawn's skin as she reached the front of her house to find her sister waiting on the porch. The brunette grinned, breaking into a run to greet Buffy.

"Dawnie, hey! How was your day at…" the blonde began to ask before her little sister jumped upon her, wrapping her in a tight, rib braking hug "school…" she smiled, stroking her hand down Dawn's silky brown hair "I missed you too". Peeking through the curtains of the lounge room window Faith grinned as she watched them, pulling back from the lacy, gently wafting curtains to relax back onto the couch and make herself comfortable. She tried to act as though she been there all along just napping when the two Summer's sisters walked in. Buffy took one look at her and grinned knowingly but didn't say a word, instead trying to concentrate on Dawn's re-telling of her day at school. The small brunette dumped her bag on the ground as they entered the lounge room, moving her hands dramatically as she spoke. Buffy was just nodding and muttering "Mmmhmm…" as she kept getting distracted by stolen glance's and sweet smiles from Faith.


End file.
